How can I get my picky child to enjoy a wider variety of foods?

Picky eaters are going through a normal developmental stage, exerting control over their environment and expressing concern about trusting the unfamiliar. Many picky eaters also prefer a “separate compartmented plate,” where one type of food doesn’t touch another. Just as it takes numerous repetitions for advertising to convince an adult consumer to buy, it takes most children 8-10 presentations of a new food before they will openly accept it.

Rather than simply insist your child eat a new food, try the following:

    Offer a new food only when your child is hungry and rested.
    Present only one new food at a time.
    Make it fun: present the food as a game, a play-filled experience. Or cut the food into unusual shapes.
    Serve new foods with favorite foods to increase acceptance.
    Eat the new food yourself; children love to imitate.
    Have your child help to prepare foods. Often they will be more willing to try something when they helped to make it.
    Limit beverages. Picky eaters often fill up on liquids instead.
    Limit snacks to two per day.